Director general of police

The Director General of Police (DGP) is the highest-ranking police officer in Indian states and union territories. The DGP is appointed by the cabinet and holds a three-star rank. The DGP is responsible for overseeing the entire police force and law enforcement activities within their respective jurisdiction. This position holds significant authority and plays a crucial role in maintaining law and order, implementing crime prevention strategies, and ensuring public safety. The DGP is usually appointed by the state government and works closely with other law enforcement agencies and government officials to uphold the rule of law and protect citizens' rights.^[1][2]

Director General of Respective States and Union Territories Police Force
Shoulder Rank of DGP
Car Flag for Director General of Police
Star Plate for Police Vehicle
Police department
Status	Head of Police Force of States and Union Territories of India
Abbreviation	DGP
Member of	Indian Police Service
Reports to	Ministry of Home Affairs
Residence	Respective Police Headquarters of States and Union Territories of India
Nominator	Union Public Service Commission
Appointer	Respective cabinet of States And Union Territories of India
Term length	2 years (minimum)
Deputy	Additional Director General of Police
Salary	• ₹225,000 (US$2,600) (monthly)

Appointment of Director General of Police

The appointment of the Director General of Police (Head of Police Force) in Indian states and union territories follows a structured process mandated by the Supreme Court of India, primarily based on the directives issued in the landmark Prakash Singh case of 2006. These directives aim to ensure transparency, meritocracy, and stability in the leadership of state police forces.^[3][4] The Director General of Police is designated as the head of the police department for all administrative and operational purposes.

Supreme Court Directives

In the Prakash Singh case, the Supreme Court issued several directives to reform the police appointment process, emphasizing the need for a transparent and merit-based selection system.^[3] Key aspects of these directives include:

• Consultation with UPSC: State governments are required to consult the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) before appointing a DGP. This consultation involves sending the names of eligible officers to the UPSC at least three months before the incumbent DGP's retirement.^[5]

• Preparation of Panel: The UPSC prepares a panel of three officers deemed fit for the DGP position based on seniority, service record, and range of experience. This panel is then sent back to the state government, which is required to appoint one of the shortlisted officers as the DGP.^[6]

• Minimum Tenure: The selected DGP is mandated to have a minimum tenure of at least two years, irrespective of their date of superannuation. This provision aims to provide stability and continuity in police leadership.^[5]

• Eligibility Criteria: Only officers with a minimum of 30 years of service and holding the rank of Additional Director General (ADG) or equivalent are considered for the DGP position. Additionally, officers must have at least six months of service left before retirement at the time of their empanelment.^[6]

• No Acting DGPs: The Supreme Court has explicitly rejected the practice of appointing "Acting DGPs," requiring states to appoint a permanent DGP to ensure stable leadership.^[5]

Other appointments

When a state or union territory (UT) cadre has more than one director general (DG)-ranked officer, one of them is appointed as the Director General of Police (DGP), who serves as the head of the police force (HoPF). The remaining DG-ranked officers in a state or UT may be appointed to various positions outside of the police department, such as Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services, Director General of Fire and Rescue Services, Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Traffic and Road Safety Commissioner, Excise Commissioner, or heads of state public sector undertakings. Alternatively, they may be appointed to commensurate positions in various central police organizations or agencies under the Union government.^[7]

Salary

The pay matrix for Director General of Police (DGP) ranked officers comprises Pay Level 17, the apex grade, and Pay Level 16. The Head of Police Force or State Police Chief, holding the rank of DGP, receives a monthly fixed salary of ₹225,000, excluding allowances. This salary scale is also applicable to Directors General (DGs) of some Central Police Organisations at the Union government level.^[8][9]

For other DG ranked officers within state governments eligible for Pay Level 16, including DG of Prisons, DG of Fire and Rescue, DG of Civil Defence and Home Guards, DG of Anti-Corruption Bureau, or equivalent posts, the monthly pay ranges from ₹205,400 to ₹224,400, exclusive of allowances.^[8]

In November 2022, the government approved a proposal to grant apex scale salary to the Directors of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), ensuring they receive salaries at par with Secretary-rank Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, irrespective of seniority.^[10]

Insignia and Uniform

DGP-ranked officers wear Gorget patches on their collars, which feature a dark blue background with an oak leaf pattern stitched on it, similar to those worn by Additional Directors General (ADGs) and Inspectors General (IGs).^[11][12] The insignia and uniform are the same as those of the DGP for both Special DGPs and Additional DGPs.

List of current Chiefs of Police Forces in the States and Union territories of India

Maharashtra Police Headquarters in Mumbai, where the state DGP sits.

Tamil Nadu Police Headquarters in Chennai, where the state DGP sits.

Uttar Pradesh Police Headquarters in Lucknow, where the state DGP sits.

State Police Chiefs

S.No.	State	Headquarters	Name of Police Chief	Batch[13]
1	Andhra Pradesh	Amaravati	Harish Kumar Gupta, IPS	1992
2	Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	Anand Mohan, IPS	1994
3	Assam	Guwahati	Harmeet Singh (acting), IPS	1992
4	Bihar	Patna	Vinay Kumar, IPS	1991
5	Chhattisgarh	Raipur	Arun Dev Gautam, IPS[14]	1992
6	Goa	Panaji	Alok Kumar, IPS	1996
7	Gujarat	Gandhinagar	Vikash Sahay, IPS[15]	1989
8	Haryana	Panchkula	Shatrujit Kapoor, IPS[16]	1990
9	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	Atul Verma, IPS[17]	1991
10	Jharkhand	Ranchi	Anurag Gupta, IPS	1990
11	Karnataka	Bengaluru	Alok Mohan, IPS[18]	1987
12	Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	Dr. Shaik Darvesh Saheb, IPS	1990
13	Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	Kailash Makwana, IPS	1988
14	Maharashtra	Mumbai	Rashmi Shukla, IPS	1988
15	Manipur	Imphal	Rajiv Singh, IPS	1993
16	Meghalaya	Shillong	Idashisha Nongrang, IPS	1992
17	Mizoram	Aizawl	Anil Shukla, IPS	1996
18	Nagaland	Kohima	Rupin Sharma, IPS[19]	1992
19	Odisha	Cuttack	Y. B. Khurania, IPS	1990
20	Punjab	Chandigarh	Gaurav Yadav (acting), IPS[20]	1992
21	Rajasthan	Jaipur	Utkal Ranjan Sahoo, IPS[21]	1988
22	Sikkim	Gangtok	Akshay Sachdeva, IPS	1991
23	Tamil Nadu	Chennai	Shankar Jiwal, IPS	1990
24	Telangana	Hyderabad	Dr. Jitender, IPS	1992
25	Tripura	Agartala	Amitabh Ranjan, IPS[22]	1988
26	Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	Prashant Kumar (acting), IPS	1990
27	Uttarakhand	Dehradun	Deepam Seth, IPS	1995
28	West Bengal	Kolkata	Rajeev Kumar (acting), IPS	1989

Headquarters of Delhi Police. It also serves as the office of Police Commissioner of Delhi, who is the ex-officio DGP of Delhi.

Police Chiefs of Union Territories

S.No	Union Territory	Headquarters	Name of the Police Chief	Batch	Rank
1	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Port Blair	Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, IPS	1997	DG
2	Chandigarh	Chandigarh	Surendra Singh Yadav, IPS[23]	1997	DG
3	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	Daman	Milind Mahadeo Dumbere, IPS	2006	DIG
4	Delhi	New Delhi	Sanjay Arora, IPS	1988	DG
5	Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar (May–Oct) Jammu (Nov-Apr)	Nalin Prabhat, IPS	1992	DG
6	Ladakh	Leh	Dr. Shiv Darshan Singh Jamwal, IPS[24]	1995	ADGP
7	Lakshadweep	Kavaratti	Sameer Sharma, IPS	2011	SP
8	Puducherry	Pondicherry	Shalini Singh, IPS	1996	DG

See also

• Advocate General
• Additional Director General of Police
• Chief Secretary
• Commissioner of Police
• Head of Forest Forces
• Police forces of India
• Law enforcement in India

Notes